Guitar Players

This well-rounded, university-trained musician has experience performing a variety of genres including classical, jazz, bossa nova, wedding repertoire, solo arrangements of pop tunes, and he even takes requests! Carl has experience performing for a wide variety of events and in a wide variety of settings. Some of his more recent performances have been at weddings, private parties, book-signings, full-length solo concerts, restaurants, and even on TV. The affordable rates and wide variety of repertoire are just a few of the unique qualities that make this passionate, talented young professional a must-have for any occasion or venue.

Biography

Carl Atilano is a young, talented guitarist and composer living and serving in the San Francisco Bay area. Born in Caracas, Venezuela and coming to this country in 1989, Carl has always been surrounded by music. His parents are both music teachers and have instilled in him musical knowledge and skill from a very young age where he progressed quickly in learning the trumpet.

However, the guitar is a fairly recent endeavor. Carl has shown his skill in playing a variety of styles with precision, skill, and musicality. He studied jazz guitar at Fullerton College and Citrus College where he played in the top ranked groups and even went on an international tour to Japan and Maui for a month, playing three times a day, every day.

Arriving to the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2007, he began serious study in the world of classical guitar, taking lessons from both Bill Coulter and Mesut Ozgen. During this time, he went from being a complete beginner in the style to being one of the top classical guitar performers at the school, earning numerous scholarships and receiving honors upon his graduation in 2009.

As a composer, he completed his first composition during his middle school years which was far too advanced for the school band to play. He has since composed several guitar quartets, solo lap-slide guitar pieces, chamber works, orchestral works, as well as numerous electro-acoustic compositions. His compositions focus on the non-traditional sound world of music beyond standard instrumentation, technique, and conception.

Currently, Carl lives in Santa Cruz, California, teaching, composing, and performing. He plans on going to graduate school to study composition and eventually teach at a university.

Awards

Campus Merit-Sage Scholarship

Classical Music Endowment

Campus Merit-Caldwell Scholarship

Kaun Campus Merit Scholarship

Porter College Music Scholarship

Honors in the music major

Testimonials

"Carl Atilano is an excellent musician and has developed into a fine classical guitarist. Carl is a very expressive performer and designed an interesting and varied recital program. He has good musical ideas and a strong passion for music. It has been an honor and a pleasure to work with Carl and to see him develop into a fine young artist."
Bill Coulter

"His work in the ensemble was always meticulous, and his attention to detail and musicality contributed greatly to the ensemble. Carl is an excellent ensemble player and a pleasure to work with."
Mesut Ozgen

"We strongly feel that our ceremony would not have been as unique and special without the talent of Carl Atliano. His gracious presence coupled with his inspirational musical abilities made us so happy he was part of such an important day. As for the specifics that every couple planning a wedding worries about, he was punctual, dressed well, and even handled a sticky situation with an inebriated relative with great tact!"
Jason and Lisa Todd

"An extraordinary guitarist. Thank you so much!"
Barbara Quick

Among other cities, Carl Atilano Classical/Jazz Guitarist may serve the following areas: San Francisco, Bay Area, Northern California, Silicon Valley, San Jose, Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond, Palo Alto, San Mateo, Concord, Hayward, Salinas, Santa Cruz, San Rafael, Santa Clara, Mountain View, Redwood City, Sunnyvale, Daly City, Fairfield, Fremont, Menlo Park, Novato, Piedmont, Vallejo, Los Gatos, Monterey, Napa, San Bruno, Walnut Creek, Burlingame, Campbell